Snow Has Fallen
by ReginaQueenofHogwarts
Summary: "I should've let her die on that horse." What if Regina had gotten her wish? What if poor, sweet, Princess Snow had died before Regina could've saved her? What would happen then? AU, Regina/Daniel, Regina/Robin, mild language
1. Snow Has Fallen

"Regina, dear, isn't it time for your riding lesson?"

Regina shuddered at the sound of her mother's gruff voice. She had been hearing it all her life, and yet she still wasn't used to its disapproving tone.

"Yes, Mother, I know. I'm meeting Daniel in the fields in a few moments."

Regina scrutinized her image in the large mirror next to her bed. She was wearing a nice white tunic underneath a sky-blue cardigan, with tan trousers and dark brown riding boots. Even though today was no special occasion, Regina wanted to look perfect for Daniel.

"You know, Regina," began Regina's mother, her tone of voice becoming impatient, "when I was a girl, I didn't have the privilege of riding lessons."

Regina sighed and turned around to face her mother. "Mother, I-"

But her mother pushed on.

"I was just a miller's daughter. I was just Cora. But I moved up; now I'm not Cora; I'm _Lady_ Cora. In fact, I could've been so much more, had certain circumstances not occurred. And Regina, do you know what I would've done had I been able to take riding lessons?"

"Do tell, Mother."

Cora ignored her daughter's sarcasm. "I would've done my best to show up early to every lesson. Regina, don't you agree that by not trying your hardest to show up early to your riding lessons, you are being ungrateful for them?"

Cora pursed her coral-colored lips as she looked at her daughter expectedly. She looked very similar to her daughter; Regina had always loathed their resemblance to each other, what with their matching brown locks and eyes. She hated being compared to her mother.

Regina sighed again. "Yes Mother, I suppose that I am, but I am only trying to look my best, and don't youalways say that one should always look their best?"

Cora said nothing for a moment, and Regina sharply inhaled. Had she gone too far? But no, she had not.

Cora gave her daughter a small, artificial smile. "Why, I do always say that, now don't I?" she chirped. "Now, do hurry along, I do I need to transport you myself?"

"No, no, that's fine, Mother! I'm going right now!"

Regina dashed from her room before her mother could take matters into her own hands. She didn't want Daniel to be reminded of her relations to Dark Magic.

As Regina reached the stables and clambered onto her horse, she wondered why her mother had been in such a rush this morning. Sure, Cora had always been strict when it came to punctuality, but she wasn't usually in such of fuss over it. However, none of that mattered now, because for one whole hour, Regina would be free to spend time with one of the only people who she truly loved: Daniel.

As she rode, Regina reached into her pocket and flipped open her pocketwatch; a gift from her father. She was indeed running about five minutes late. Regina snapped the horse's reins and broke into a gallop for the highest hill in the fields, where Daniel would be waiting.

At long last, Regina reached the hill where Daniel waited, smiling broadly at her. She slid off of her horse and wrapped her arms around Daniel's neck, kissing him happily.

When they broke away, they both wore giddy grins. "It's so great to see you," Regina murmured. "It's getting so much harder to be without you."

"Every moment without you is like a moment without air," said Daniel, grabbing Regina's hand and squeezing it. "I look forward to this hour each day, for it is the only time when I truly feel complete."

Regina stared into Daniel's eyes, and he stared into hers. She leaned in again, longing for Daniel's affection.

"YOU TWO!"

Regina stumbled backwards, a startled yelp escaping her lips. Two soldiers were approaching her and Daniel, with someone walking behind them, blocked from view. The soldier stepped apart and revealed the man behind them.

He had shoulder-length grey hair, as well as a grey goatee on his chin. A lion-skin coat was draped over his shoulders and trailed behind him. To top it off, on top of his head lay a golden crown, shimmering in the morning light.

"Your Majesty!" gasped Daniel, caught by surprise. He dipped into a bow, and Regina followed suit, stunned by the sudden appearance of royalty.

"As you were," growled King Leopold, his voice edged with impatience. "Have either of you seen my daughter?"

Once again, Regina was unable to speak. "Princess Snow?" asked Daniel. "No, Your Majesty, we have not seen her."

King Leopold snarled. "You may still be of use. I need both of you to search for her. Report to me if you find anything." When neither Daniel nor Regina moved, Kind Leopold narrowed his eyes. "Now!"

Regina jumped into action and hopped onto her horse, and Daniel climbed on behind her. She flicked the reins and her horse started into a quick gallop, taking off through the hills.

"Did that really just happen?" asked Regina, bewildered.

"I guess so," replied Daniel, equally stunned.

All of a sudden, Regina caught sight of something black in the middle of the lush green grass. She jerked on the horse's reins and jumped off, Daniel doing the same.

"Did you see something?" he asked.

"I think so," Regina replied, looking around for whatever she had seen aboard her horse.

"Is anyone there?" called Daniel. "Hello?"

"Hello? Princess Snow? Are you there?"

" _Help."_

It was a weak moan, barely there, but Regina heard it. "This way!" she cried, running towards the plea for help.

And there she was, lying behind a tree. Her hair was such a dark ebony color that it shone, and her skin so pale that it was almost white. Her leg was bent at an unnatural angle, and blood was pouring from a wound on her left arm, but there was no doubt about it; it was Princess Snow.

" _Help,"_ she whimpered again. " _My horse, it-it bucked me off."_

"Daniel," whispered Regina urgently, "can you pick her up?"

Daniel tried to lift the young princess from the ground, but she let out a shriek and began to sob harder than she already had been.

"Go get the king," said Regina. "Bring him and the soldiers back here, and tell them she's injured. Hurry!"

Daniel didn't hesitate. He jumped back onto the horse and took off, leaving Regina with the wounded princess.

" _I want my mother,"_ moaned Snow. Regina bit her lip. Oh dear. Mothers were not one of Regina's strong suits, especially not deceased ones.

"Snow," Regina whispered, as delicately as she could, "would you like to hear a story?"

Snow gave a tiny nod. Regina swallowed, and then started.

"Once upon a time," she said softly, searching her head for ideas, "there was a young and beautiful princess. She had hair the color of the night sky, skin so fair it was the same color as the winter snow, and lips so red they were the color of fresh strawberries.

"The princess's name was Snow. Princess Snow was kind to everyone and everything she met. People came from all around just to speak with such a loving girl. Snow loved being around her people and her family, but she wished to go on an adventure. One day, Snow caught word of a magical flower that could grant the beholder one wish, and it could only be used once. It was called the Liebe. Snow decided to search for the Liebe, so she took her horse and went into the woods to find the flower.

"Snow searched for hours and hours, up until the sun was beginning to set. Just as she was about to leave, she found a magnificent flower sitting underneath the largest tree in the forest. It looked almost like a rose, except instead of red, it was a bright, shimmering gold. Snow plucked it from the ground and rode back home, all the while wondering what she should wish for.

"Snow returned to the palace just as the sun set, still pondering what she should wish for. Then, it came to her: she didn't need to wish for anything, because she already had all that she needed: a loving family and a wonderful life. But then Snow thought about all those people who were less fortunate than herself.

"Snow closed her eyes, held the flower close to her, and wished for all those whose lives had no joy to be filled with love and happiness. As soon as she said the wish, the golden hue of the Liebe began to disappear from its petals and float out of the window and into the night, granting Snow's wish. With that, she-"

"SNOW!" roared the bold voice of King Leopold. Behind him was Daniel on horseback and the two guards, this time carrying a large, white stretcher. The guards approached Snow, who shrunk away, whimpering.

"Snow," whispered Regina, "you have to let these men pick you up. It'll only be for a moment, I swear."

Snow sniffled a bit, and the guard came closer, and one put his arms under Snow's back and legs and lifted her from the ground.

Snow let out a cry of anguish and another sob. The guard, startled, immediately put her on the stretcher and backed away, not wanting to do any more damage.

"You there!" called one guard. "On the horse! Get off! We must use it!"

Daniel looked at Regina for approval, since it was indeed her horse. Regina nodded, and Daniel dismounted, and the guards clambered on, one steering and one carrying Snow.

"Wait," croaked Snow, her green eyes boring into Regina's brown ones. "What happened to the princess?"

Regina felt a tear roll down her face. "She, uh-she lived happily ever after."

From the stretcher, Snow gave the smallest of smiles before the guard cracked the horse's reins and took off towards the castle, leaving King Leopold alone with Daniel and Regina.

"You," he said to Regina, his voice wavering. "You were with my daughter, were you not? You took care of her?"

Regina nodded, unsure of what else to do.

"I am forever grateful to you," he said. "I must repay you. You must-you must be my queen."

Regina stared at Leopold for a moment. She shot a fearful glance at Daniel, who was turning red. "Your Majesty," he said, "Regina is engaged to me." This was a lie, but Daniel was desperate to keep Regina from slipping away from him.

"Yes!" agreed Regina, stepping closer to Daniel. "I mean, yes, Your Majesty."

"I apologize to you, sir," said Leopold to Daniel, "but she is now engaged to me. She will be a wonderful mother to my Snow, and if my daughter . . . if she . . . doesn't make it . . . there is no one I would rather have than the woman who comforted my child in her darkest time." He turned back to Regina. "You have today to pack your things. Please be at the palace by nightfall."

Leopold turned and was about to walk away.

"Wait!" cried Daniel. "Your Majesty!"

Leopold turned back around and stared at Daniel. "Yes?"

"If my . . . fiance will be your queen, then may I request to be her royal guard? I know her well and perhaps she would be more comfortable with me than a stranger as her protection."

Leopold scrutinized Daniel for a moment. "Alright then," he said. "You may accompany her to the palace tonight. Remember: no later than nightfall."

With that, Leopold turned once more and walked away, back towards the palace. Once he was out of earshot, Regina swiveled to Daniel. "What are we going to do?" she cried.

Daniel, who was normally so sure of himself and his actions, was looking grim. "I don't know," he said. "I really don't know."

Regina sat solemnly on her bed, staring at her rucksack. She had packed the bare minimum: a necklace her father had given her for her twelfth birthday, a saddle and reins that Daniel had given her when she first learned how to ride, and one apple in case she got hungry while she rode.

Two soft knocks tapped her door. Regina stood up and opened it, revealing Daniel. Regina wrapped her arms around him without saying anything and just stood there, breathing him in. When she released, she said, "How did you get in here? Did my mother let you?"

"No. Your father did. Your mother's celebrating with a bottle of champagne in the parlor." Daniel sat down on the bed with Regina. "How could she be happy about this?"

"She's always wanted me to become royalty," replied Regina bitterly. "She thinks that it'll somehow bring her up as well. She's wrong. As soon as I get to the palace, I'm sending as much gold as I can to my father so he can leave her; he doesn't deserve to die with a woman like that."

Daniel nodded. "At least you'll finally escape her. And we'll be together."

"But we won't be _together_. Not really."

Daniel sighed. "You're right. That's why I brought you this." Daniel reached into the pocket of his tunic and removed a simple gold ring. "I was going to propose soon. I had saved up all of the money I had made, and we could've gotten away from here, from your mother. But even though it can't happen, I still want you to wear it. This way, we'll still be engaged, even if we can't get married." He gently took Regina's hand and slipped the ring onto her ring finger.

Regina had tears brimming in her eyes. "It's beautiful, Daniel. I love it. But how will I be able to wear it? Leopold will probably force me to wear an engagement ring for him."

"Just say it's a family tradition. He probably won't care."

Regina nodded. She hugged Daniel one more time, and then kissed him like it was the last time she would be able to, and it probably would be.

Regina and Daniel left the room a few minutes later and walked out to the stables, where Regina's parents were waiting. Regina hugged her father tightly, unable to hold back tears this time. "I love you," she said. "I'll write to you whenever I can."

Regina's father gave her a bittersweet smile, unable to speak. Regina's mother stepped up to her daughter, a proud smile shining on her face. "Make me proud, darling," she said, hugging Regina, who stood stiffly in defiance.

Regina and Daniel climbed onto their horses and waved goodbye to her father. Then, they took off away from the house, knowing that that might be the last time they'll see it.

An hour later, Regina and Daniel reached the palace, where Daniel was led to the Guards' Quarters and Regina was escorted to her room. After the guard left her alone, she didn't even bother to look around. She sat on her bed, blankly staring out of her window. A while later, someone knocked on her door.

Regina slowly got up and opened the door, where another guard stood, his head hanging. "His Majesty wishes for you to know that Princess Snow has passed. There will be a memorial service for her after sunset. Your personal guard will escort you there. Please dress appropriately."

Without waiting for a reply, the guard turned and left, and Regina closed the door.

Regina began to cry, soft at first, and then harder. It was all too much. She had been forced to leave her father, and now that sweet girl had died. It was as if everything good had been sucked from her life.

Snow had fallen, and Regina couldn't help but feel like she had, too.


	2. A New Queen

In the few hours she had before Daniel came to escort her to Princess Snow's funeral, Regina had taken time to explore her room. It was much larger than her old one; it was almost the size of her old house. Sadly, there was only one window, which looked out onto the villages of the kingdom. She had a large mirror, with ornate carvings of vines climbing up its sides, and an unsatisfying small bookshelf right beside it. Also, taking up the entirety of the east side of the room, was a walk-in closet, already stocked with clothing.

Inside of the closet was a variety of gowns and shoes, each a different color and style. Unfortunately, there was only one black dress and one pair of black heels, both of which were absolutely unbearable to wear. Even more unfortunately, right as Regina was exploring her closet, a knock sounded at her door. Regina opened it, revealing a young girl who could not be more than sixteen, two years younger than Regina.

"Your Majesty," she said timidly, giving Regina a deep bow. "I'm here to help you dress for Princess Snow's service."

"Oh," Regina said, surprised. "Please come in. And you don't need to call me that."

"But you are the queen," replied the girl, her large brown eyes blinking inquisitively at Regina. "That is your title, Your Majesty."

"Really, I would prefer it if you would call me Regina."

The girl hesitated a moment, unsure of what to do. "Alright then, um, Regina."

Despite the recent depressing events, Regina was interested in this girl. Perhaps she could make a friend.

"What's your name?" Regina asked.

"Eleanor," answer the girl. "You can call me Ellie, if you wish."

"Alright then, Ellie. Are you here to help me dress? Because not to be rude, but I can dress myself."

Ellie nodded. "Oh, yes, I know. I'm just here to help you with your corset."

 _Oh no,_ thought Regina. _A corset._

Regina had only worn a corset once in her life, on her eighteenth birthday, a mere seven months ago. Her mother had insisted that ladies had to be able to wear corsets, because they enhanced your curves and complemented your bodies. They did not, however, complement your lungs. On the contrary, corsets were determined to strangle them.

The experience had been scarring, and Regina had felt that corset for three hours after she had taken it off.

"Do all of the dresses have corsets?" asked Regina.

"Yes," replied Ellie, busying herself with removing the dress and shoes in question, as well as opening up a case filled with makeup and putting it on Regina's vanity.

Once she was finished, Ellie handed Regina the dress and shoes, and ushered her behind a privacy screen that Regina had not noticed until that moment.

The dress was a mountain of ruffles, and the heels were three inches high. It took Regina a full five minutes to get dressed, and once she had, she was feeling rather opposed to her new wardrobe style.

"Turn around, please," said Ellie, once Regina had stepped out from behind the privacy screen. Regina turned around and closed her eyes, preparing herself for the pain to come.

A tight sensation erupted in Regina's waist. She felt the thread of the corset pinching her skin, and she clenched her fists. As her waist grew more compressed, Regina let out a small yelp.

"I'm so sorry, Regina," said Ellie regretfully. "I'm almost done."

Once Ellie knotted the threads, Regina let out a grateful sigh. Or, she tried to. At this point, she could barely breath, only able to fill her lungs in small doses due to the corset's tight grip on her waist.

Regina walked over to the mirror, unable to feel her legs. While she had to admit she looked attractive, this wasn't the right look for her. She was more in favor of trousers and loose tunics and boots, not corsets and ruffles and heels that made her feel like a baby gazelle when she walked.

"Now I have to do your makeup and hair," said Ellie, directing Regina to the chair in front of her vanity.

Ellie ruffled through her makeup case, first removing a hair brush. She took Regina's dark hair in her hands and ran the brush through it, untangling the many knots in it, Regina wincing each time there was a tug on her scalp.

Once Regina's hair was shiny and smooth, Ellie began her makeup process. First, she took what looked to be a small bowl of white powder and used a brush to evenly spread it across Regina's face. Then, she took a small amount of some coal-colored dust and brushed it across Regina's eyes, and then finished by coloring Regina's cheeks with rouge.

Regina looked at her reflection in the mirror, and couldn't help but feel unsatisfied. She was more beautiful than she had ever been before, but it wasn't her. It was unnatural. She didn't like it.

"You look beautiful," whispered Ellie. "I wish I could look like you."

"You shouldn't," said Regina.

Ellie's already large eyes widened. "Do you not like it? Should I redo it? Did I mess up?"

"No, no, it's not you. I'm just not accustomed to makeup."

"That's alright. You'll get used to it."

That wasn't the answer Regina wanted to hear.

"Your Majesty?"

The familiar voice came from outside off Regina's door. She stood up abruptly, almost knocking into Ellie. Regina ran to the door and flung it open, where Daniel waited for her, now dressed in his guard uniform.

Regina grabbed Daniel and hugged him tightly, not wanting to let go when Daniel stepped back.

"Regina," he said. "I'm sorry, but we can't do this. Not now. Leopold can't know that we're in love."

"But he knew, and he decided to marry me anyway!"

"If I finds out that his fiance and his fiance's personal guard are together, we will both suffer the consequences. No one can know."

Regina bit her lip. "Well, one person already does."

"Erm, hello," said Ellie, whom Daniel hadn't noticed until now.

Daniel flushed bright red. "Please don't tell anyone," implored Regina to Ellie.

Ellie shook her head. "I won't. You can trust me."

Regina gave a small smile, and Daniel relaxed a bit, but still eyed the young maid warily. "We need to get to the service; it's starting soon."

Daniel led Regina out of her room and into the hall. Ellie stayed in the room, busying herself with tidying up. "Aren't you coming?" queried Regina.

"No, I'm afraid not," said Ellie. "People like me aren't invited."

Regina nodded solemnly, and Daniel led the way through the winding halls of the palace, down winding staircases, and into the Main Hall. Regina was about to walk out of the front doors, but Daniel grabbed her arm.

"You're not going that way," he said.

"What? But isn't the service being held in the front grounds?"

Daniel shook his head. "I don't know why, but they want you to stay behind the stage where the memorial is happening, so no one can see you."

Regina sighed. _If I'm not going to be seen, what's the point of wearing a fifty pound dress?_

So Daniel took across the Hall to a smaller, much less extravagant set of doors than the front ones. They quietly slipped through it and found themselves outside, underneath the moon and the stars. They were behind a raised platform, shielded by a curtain, with a short set of steps leading up to it.

"Thank you all for coming here."

Regina flinched as Leopold's voice boomed through the atmosphere.

"As many of you know, this morning, my beautiful daughter, my precious flower, my Snow, perished during a riding accident. I would like for us all to take a moment of silence as she is laid to rest in her coffin."

All of the noise stopped, and Regina could only hear the sound of the coffin being opened and Snow's body being laid gently inside, and then the coffin being closed again. After another moment of silence, Leopold spoke again.

"Princess Snow and her coffin shall be set right next to the palace doors so that all may grieve for as long as they need to."

Solemn murmurs swept across the crowd, and Regina could hear some people sniffling pitifully.

"Despite this melancholic time, I do have good news to share with you. As you know, my wife-and your queen-died not too long ago. However, I have found someone who will be able to fill that hole, and I would like you to meet her."

Daniel gave Regina a small push, and, her palms sweating with tension, slowly and carefully climbed up the steps, trying not to fall over in her heels. When she reached the stage, she had to resist the urge to wince as her eyes were met with the light of hundreds of candles, each held by mourning villager. They were all staring at something with extreme intrigue, and whispering to one another. It Regina a moment until she realized that the thing they were staring at was _her._

"I could not wait to give this kingdom a new queen, so as soon as my lovely snowflake died, I had Regina registered as my wife. However, I do not believe that it is official without a crown, nor a kiss."

Leopold turned to Regina and smiled at her kindly. He stepped towards her and leaned in. Regina's heart was pounding, and her hands were shaking. Without waiting for her to lean in, Leopold pulled Regina to him and kissed her on the lips. Regina was caught by surprise and fought the urge to shove him away from her. She kept her lips tightly closed, and Leopold soon released her, and the crowd erupted into applause.

A servant ran on stage and handed something large, golden, and glittery to Leopold, who took it and dismissed him. Her turned once more to Regina and she involuntarily flinched, and then immediately hoped that no one had seen.

Leopold lifted the crown into the air and delicately placed it on Regina's head. It was heavy, almost like a metaphor for the responsibility that she now had. Leopold grabbed Regina by the shoulders and turned her to face the people in the crowd, who were cheering wildly now.

"My people!" he boomed. "You have your new queen!"

The crowd screamed with delight, and people rushed up to the stage, just to get a better look at the new member of the royal family.

Someone came up behind Regina and grabbed her hand, leading her offstage. However, before she turned away, she caught sight of a face in the crowd: Regina's mother, who was smiling nastily, almost as if she had planned everything perfectly.


	3. The Escape

_I'm really sorry that this was chapter was posted kind of late, but I was really busy this week. I hope that you enjoy it, and stay tuned, because I have BIG plans for this story!_

XXXXXXX

Five days. Regina had been a queen stuck in her castle for five whole days, with people bringing her meals and books (she had finished all of the ones on her bookshelf) and, worst of all, she hadn't seen Daniel at all since her coronation.

 _I thought I was a queen, not a prisoner,_ she thought to herself with irritation. As much as she hated it, she _was_ a queen, and she should be out in the kingdom, or speaking with other leaders, or doing _something_ other than just sitting in her room, which felt as if it was growing increasingly smaller with each passing day.

She had to _do_ something. She couldn't just sit in her room and wait for things to get better. Life was not a fairy tale; she knew that much. She could not- _would_ not-just sit idly by while her world was created around her. No, she would make her own world. She would _escape._

It would have to be the perfect plan; something so seamless, so genius, that no one would know she was gone, not until it was too late and she was far gone, starting her new life.

A knock on the door sounded, thrusting Regina from her thoughts and back into the real world. She stood up and opened the door, hoping that it would be Daniel standing there. However, it was merely Ellie. But she would do for now.

"Regina, I'm-"

But Regina cut her off. "Ellie, I need your help."

Ellie's eyebrows furrowed. "How do you mean?"

And Regina explained her ambitious goal. When she finished, Ellie's lips were pursed in concern. "Regina, this is not a good idea. King Leopold is a very hard man to deceive, and his queen running off with her personal guard would not go unnoticed."

"I know. That's why I need your help."

Ellie's face turned a bit grey. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in, held it, and then released. She did this several times while Regina watched quizzically.

"Ellie, what are you doing?"

"Attempting to not have an anxiety attack," she replied, her eyes still closed. Regina stood awkwardly by, and Ellie soon opened her eyes and stared at Regina. "You realise that we could both get executed for this, don't you?"

Regina nodded, though she hadn't thought of that. Despite that, though, she was still determined to go on with her goal.

So that night, at the time when she would normally go to sleep, Regina carefully snuck out of her room and crept down three flights of stairs. She had used her third day up by memorizing a map of the castle, given to her by Ellie, so she knew every corner and crevice by heart.

As quietly as she could, Regina opened the door to the guards' quarters. Since he was a personal guard to the queen, Daniel had the best bed, at the front of the room. Wanting to be as subtle as possible, she used the strategy she had used whenever she had woken Daniel in the middle of the night back at her old home.

Regina took right palm and gently pressed it against the small of Daniel's back. On what Regina assumed had become instinct, Daniel's eyes flashed open and he sat up. When he caught sight of Regina, his eyes grew round in surprise. He opened his mouth to say something, but Regina shook her head, motioning for him to follow her out the door.

They walked out of the room and, after double-checking to make sure that there were no guards around, stood in the hallway.

"Regina, what are you doing?" whispered Daniel. "This isn't the right time to come see me!"

Though Regina felt slightly hurt that Daniel was not happy to see her, she brushed it aside. "I have a plan," she whispered back. "For us to escape."

Regina had expected Daniel to give her a hundred reasons why this was not a good idea, he simply stood and stared at her. Wanting to get it over with, she explained it to him, giving him all of the details she had meticulously come up with that day.

Once she finished, Daniel bit his lip. "Regina, I'm really not sure about this. There are so many things that could go wrong."

Regina let out a sigh. "Daniel, you have to trust me. I promise you, everything will be fine. Just follow the plan, okay?"

Daniel paused for a moment, and then nodded reluctantly. "All right. I trust you."

Regina smiled, and watched as Daniel crept back into his bed, giving her a kiss goodnight before he did. With luck, this entire plan would go off without a hitch. However, Regina couldn't help but think that she hadn't been having much luck lately.

XXXXXXX

The very next night, after the sun had set and given way to the darkness that flooded the sky, Regina lay in her bed, breathing slowly, her eyes shut. However, she was not asleep. Rather, she was more awake than she felt she ever had been. Her ears were straining to hear the signal that she and Ellie had devised. It had had to be something that would stand out only to Regina, and to no one else.

A quiet, haunting tune floated into Regina's room. _The signal._ Ellie had insisted on whistling something, because it was one of her most prideful skills.

Regina sat up in her bed and slowly slipped on her worn riding boots, the only shoes that she had brought with her when she was forced to be relocated to the palace. She grabbed her black cloak and positioned it over her shoulders, and pulled up the hood, masking her features. As silently as she could, Regina opened the door and slipped out of her room, but not before grabbing a pouch of gold coins that she had stolen from the royal treasury the night she had alerted Daniel of the plan.

Regina crept down the stairs once again and headed towards the guards' quarters. This time, there was a guard standing there, a guard wearing a pair of hole-ridden black flats. Ellie nodded at Regina, and opened the door for her.

This time, Daniel was awake, waiting for Regina. He slipped off of his bed and grabbed Regina's hand, squeezing it reassuringly. His face was also masked by the hood of a cloak, and Regina couldn't help but smile at the newly-found similarity.

Ellie stepped in front of Regina and Daniel and led them through the palace and finally to a small door at the back of the Great Hall, similar to the one Regina went through on the day of her coronation. It led to the back garden of the palace, where luckily, no guards stood. Ellie had agreed to escort Daniel and Regina to the edge of the palace grounds, and then she would go back to maids' quarters and act like she had been asleep all night.

The three of them had gotten halfway across the back gardens when a noise stopped them in their tracks.

"Thieves!" cried out a voice. "Kill them!"

Regina, Daniel, and Ellie broke into sprints. There must have been guards hidden, waiting silently for something to go wrong.

And all too soon, everything did go wrong. Very, very wrong.

Guards were running at them from all sides of the palace, some of them on horseback, brandishing bows and arrows, ready to fly. An arrow whistled through the air, ripping through Regina's hood, barely missing her head. She pulled it out and gripped it in her fist; it might come in handy later. That is, if there was a later.

Hundreds of arrows flew through the night, each hoping to strike a target, striking a wild terror into Regina's heart. Why had she done this? Why couldn't she have been content with what she had?

It happened in the blink of an eye. Regina didn't even have time to contemplate what was going on. An arrow shot through the air once more, heading straight for Regina's chest. She didn't have time to move.

And yet, someone, Regina found herself on the ground, unscathed. But then a sickening thump sounded right beside her, and something fell to the ground. No, someone. _Daniel._ An arrow stuck in his stomach, blood soaking his tunic and cloak.

" _Daniel!"_

His eyes were open, but blank, with no sign of the loving glimmer that they always seemed to hold.

It was like something had shattered within her. Even when she had had no hope, Daniel was there. Daniel had always been there. But now he never would be again.

"Regina! Regina, run!"

But Regina couldn't run. How could she? And yet Ellie was tugging on her, begging her move, saying that the guards were coming. But what did it matter? Why should anything matter?

And Ellie was ripping the arrow out of Regina's hand, and doing something that elicited a yell out of one of the guards, and a thump on the ground. Ellie pulled Regina to her feet and shoved her against something large and firm.

"GO!" she screamed. "GET ON IT AND GO! DANIEL WOULD WANT YOU TO!"

Regina's vision cleared. _Daniel. Daniel would want me to get out._ So Regina hopped onto the horse, and dug her heels into its sides, going as quickly as she could. A scream broke into air and Regina twisted around in time to see Ellie being carried off back towards the castle by guards. "Ellie!" yelled Regina. "I'll be back! I promise!"

But Ellie didn't reply, and Regina was still being chased. She whipped the reins of the horse sharply, and took off as fast as she could, grateful for all of her riding lessons. Lessons that had been with Daniel. _Daniel._

Regina didn't know how long she rode for, or when the guards stopped chasing her, but at some point, she felt exhaustion taking over her body, and before she could stop herself, her eyes closed involuntarily and everything went black.


	4. Begin Again

_Just a disclaimer, which I forgot to add earlier: I do not own OUAT (sadly) nor any of its characters but my own. I only own the plot and my own characters. Also, in this AU, Marian dies of an unknown sickness soon after giving birth, so she is not a part of the story, but Roland is._

XXXXXXX

"Who is she?"

"Well, I don't know, now do I?"

"I was just asking."

"It was pointless to ask, we're both only seeing her for the first time, why would I know?"

"I dunno, you might've seen her somewhere."

"Men! Give her some space!"

Regina's eyes opened and were met with six faces peered down at her with curiosity. Surprised, she let out a yelp and began to scoot backwards, only to feel a large jolt of pain erupt in her leg. She let out another cry of pain, and one of the men stepped towards her, presumably to help, but at the time Regina was in all-out defensive mode, so she the moment he got close, she landed a punch against his jaw.

The man yelled and stumbled back, rubbing his jaw.

"Are you alright, Little John?" asked the man who seemed to be the leader of the group, with sandy blonde hair and blue eyes, dressed in all green.

 _Little John?_ thought Regina. _What an odd name for such a large man._

"Yes, I'm fine," he said, looking hurt. Regina couldn't help but feel bad, but since she had no idea who these people were, she would not apologize until she found out. If she needed to, she had her pouch of gold in case of a ransom that needed to be paid, but they didn't need to know that unless the situation got bad.

The leader stepped forwards. "I apologize for this informal meeting, miss. My name is Robin Hood, and these are my Merry Men."

 _The Merry Men?_ Cora had spoken of the Merry Men many times, and it was never positive. These were the people who had stopped the carriages of royals and stripped them of their gold in order to give it to the poor. While Regina had always admired the Merry Men, she had no reason to trust them, especially since she was currently injured and unarmed.

"And who are you?" asked Robin.

Regina thought for a moment. Should she make a fake name? She would surely be wanted for treason by now, and what was to stop these men from turning her in for gold? "Dannie," replied Regina, holding back a lump in her throat as she thought of Daniel. But no, she could not go soft. She had to keep up an air of cold, hard, dismissiveness. "Tell me where I am."

"You're in Sherwood Forest. The Merry Men and I found you here unconscious not too long ago."

"What time is it?"

One of the men, who was tall and wiry with a sharp jaw pulled a rather extravagant gold pocket watch from his trousers. "Half past seven, miss," he said, with an accent like Robin's, but much thicker.

Then Regina had been out for at least six hours, maybe even more.

"Do you know what happened to you, Dannie?" asked Robin.

 _Oh, nothing too big, I just lost the love of my life and almost all of my will to live, except for the fact that my best friend is rotting in a prison because of me and I had to rescue you._

"Riding accident." _Well, it was true._

"Well, Dannie, the Merry Men and I can take you back to our camp and help you with your leg."

Robin outstretched his arms and walked towards Regina. Regina recoiled. "What are you doing?"

Robin looked surprised. "I was merely trying to carry you to the wagon."

 _Nope. Not gonna happen._ Regina looked around and spotted a rather thick branch lying on the ground near her. She picked it up and, using it as a crutch, pulled herself t her feet. "I'm fine," she said, lifting her chin.

Robin gave a small smile and led Regina to a large wagon drawn by two horses. Regina pulled herself into it and sat down, and Robin and the man with the pocket watch went to man the horses. Meanwhile, the other four men clambered in, still staring at Regina as if they had never seen anything like her.

Luckily, before Regina had to make awkward conversation, a small, brown-haired blur ran straight for her, colliding with her stomach. The blur turned out to be a little brown-haired boy. Despite having just run into a person, his face was adorned with a huge grin.

"Hi!" he said to Regina. "I'm Roland! I'm three, and my favorite color is green! Who are you?"

Regina let out a small laugh. "Hi, Roland, I'm R-Dannie. I'm Dannie."

Roland squinted. "That's a funny name."

Regina heard Robin laugh as the wagon started to move. "Roland, don't be rude."

"Sorry, Papa!" he called back, still staring at Regina. He gave a little bow and said, "Pleased to meet your acquaintance, miss."

The Merry Men laughed. "Roland's a little sweetheart," chuckled Little John.

"I'm sorry for punching you earlier," said Regina, feeling guilty again. "You startled me."

John grinned toothily. "It's alright, miss. But you haven't met the rest of us, have you? Up there with Robin is Will, then there's Allen,"-he pointed to a man with snow-white hair and startlingly blue eyes-"Ricker,"-a young man whose face seemed to hold a permanent scowl-"and Maxwell." Maxwell looked identical to Ricker, with the same black hair and brown eyes, except his face held a kind smile.

"It' a pleasure to meet you," said Allen, pretending to tip an imaginary hat to her. Despite the previous day's events, Regina couldn't help but smile. She wasn't dead yet. And she was still going to find a way to save Ellie, no matter what it took.

Out of nowhere, the carriage stopped in its tracks. Regina could hear Robin and Will talking with another man. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but evidently, Ricker could. He rolled his eyes. "They're looking for the queen. Ran away from the palace last night, apparently. Why should we care? I didn't even bother to show up to that stupid coronation."

Regina's face went green. Maxwell noticed. "Dannie, what's wrong?"

"Um . . . I-I saw the queen last night when she running so . . . they-they arrest me for not stopping her."

Maxwell looked sceptical, but nodded. "Alright. You get under this blanket." He draped the blanket over Regina until she was out of sight.

Regina's pulse was quickening. The voices were coming closer. The unfamiliar one, which she assumed belonged to a guard of some sort, was saying, "Sir, I need to check your wagon. What's under the blanket?"

Regina held her breath, praying that nothing would go wrong, that she wouldn't be taken.

Robin must've figured out that Regina was hiding under the blanket, because he replied, "Just some supplies."

Regina felt a hand begin to tug at the blanket.

"Now, sir, there's nothing under there concerning you." That was Will.

"Then you won't mind if I take a look, now will you?"

And then the blanket was tugged off, revealing Regina. Without pausing to think, Regina blindly shoved her fist out in front of her. The result was a moment of silence, and then a _thump!_ as the body hit the ground.

Will stared at Regina incredulously. "That was bloody brilliant, that was," he breathed.

Roland was giggling. "Go Dannie!" he cheered brightly.

"What are we going to do with him now?" asked Little John.

Robin didn't answer. He was looking at Regina, his blue eyes piercing Regina's brown ones. "I need the truth," he said. "Now."

Regina sighed. "Fine. You want the truth? Here's the truth. My real name is Regina, and I was forced into marrying King Leopold and to be separated from my fiance, who became my personal guard. With the help of a friend from the castle, we tried to make an escape last night, but my friend was captured and . . . my fiance was killed." Regina swallowed. "And now I'm here. So I supposed I'll be going now, then, unless you're going to turn me in."

The Merry Men were silent, all staring at Regina, except Robin, who was humming to himself quietly. It was Robin who finally spoke. "We're not going to turn you in."

Ricker let out a cry of protest. "Why not? She'll get us loads of gold."

Regina reached into her cloak and removed the pouch of gold coins. She tossed it to Ricker, who caught it, a surprised expression on his face. "There," said Regina. "I guess I'll be going, then."

"No," said Robin. "We'll take you back to our camp as planned, and you can be one of us. You can be a Merry Woman."

Regina looked around at the other men. They had no signs of protest; in fact, most were smiling at her. "Alright. Sure. I'll need your help to rescue my friend, anyway."

Robin nodded. "Of course. First, however, we need to do something with him."

Regina peered down at the unconscious man on the ground, feeling a bit proud in spite of herself. However, she soon felt a twinge of regret. "When he wakes up, he'll know that I'm with you."

"Let's just kill him," grunted Rickers. Maxwell gave his brother a look. "Fine then, if you don't want to have any fun," Rickers muttered, rolling his eyes.

"No, Rick, we can't kill him," said Robin. "We'll put him in the forest somewhere. And as for you, Regina, we can disguise you. Little John's rather handy with that sort of stuff.

John smiled and nodded at Regina. "I can make you look like an entirely different person," he said enthusiastically. Regina smiled back.

Robin and Will picked up the unconscious guard and put him somewhere in the woods, and then returned to the wagon and the Merry Men and Regina continued on their way.

XXXXXXX

They arrived at the camp in about an hour, and Regina was stunned at what she saw. She had expected something crude and hasty, especially since it was a temporary placement. However, what she found instead was a collection of camouflaged tents, each one rather large, and in the center, there was a firepit surrounded with bags of supplies and weaponry.

"How did you manage to leave this unattended?" asked an awestruck Regina.

"Well," said Allen, "Robin's always pretty good at finding these secluded places for us to camp in while we scavenge, and nobody seems to come around."

Regina nodded. Perhaps life wouldn't be so bad here. Perhaps she could find a way to rescue Ellie in time, before something bad happened. Perhaps. . . .

XXXXXXX

 _Since I posted so late last time, I thought I would post a bit sooner for this chapter! Also, I just wanted to say thank you to those who read and review and follow and favorite, because it is really appreciated! If you have any requests, feel free to comment them and I might use them in the story! Thanks!_


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